Roger Donaldson gave us a rather predictable espionage thriller that although polished and palpable turned itself inside out with too many twists and turns. Al Pacino plays a C.I.A instructor who attempts to recruit a young and inspired M.I.T computer genius with a tempestuous nature and a chequered family history. Originally uninterested our James played by Colin Fecking Farrell is intrigued by the offer after mention of his father's former life as a spook. The usual aptitude tests and scenarios are played out and James excels until his relationship with a fellow recruit played by the gorgeous Bridget Moynahan unhinges his stoic demeanor. With some neat conspiracy ideas and typical espionage spy-shit this does hurtle along at a fair old…

The Recruit is a typical run-of-the mill, standard spy thriller. You know, the typical "who is conning who" plot, and the inevitable plot twist towards the end. It's smartly executed by Roger Donaldson, and serves as okay entertainment, but other than that... meh, nothing special.

Sometimes a film can be its own worst enemy, such as The Recruit which plays the cinematic equivalent of 'cry wolf'. Simply put, this espionage drama from Roger Donaldson attempts to pull a series of rugs from under our feet so many times that you may find yourself tiring of its central schtick, as crucial as it is to the movie's central ideas of manipulation and what lies at face value. Yet for a picture that prides itself on trying to stay one step ahead of its audience, the result is a far more routine piece of work that is actually rather easy to predict in many places, ultimately moving away from being a fresh take on the spy thriller…

Passable early 2000s spy thriller. Very reminiscent of the TV show, Alias, but with a dashing Colin Farrell as the young CIA recruit and Al Pacino as the aloof father-figure.

Exactly as twisty/turny as you might expect, but comedy gold when the computer hackery commences. We don't climb to Jurassic Park's lofty heights of "It's a Unix system! I know this!", but we get a very acceptable "Listen to me, this is what I do! Programs! Code!"

I love that shit. I wonder if I could be a CIA field agent. After all, it's what I do! Programs! Code!

Let's be clear, this film would be pretty poor if it wasn't for the gloriously hammy, wonderfully scenery chewing performance from the great Al Pacino.

He gurns, yells, screams, whispers, pauses and rants his way through this film, making it an utter joy to watch whenever he's on screen.

Yes, the plot is predictable, not to mention very similar to Training Day. Yes, Colin Farrell isn't that great in it. Yes it is probably a bit too long. But forget all that, and enjoy the film for its Pacinoisms (aside from a HOOHA! they're all here).

Always being a fan of Pacino's work, but rarely of Farrell's, I put off seeing this movie for 12 years. When searching for a movie to watch I finally decided to blow the dust off of this one and give it a try. I wish I could say that it was well worth the wait or I wish I would have seen this on the big screen, but alas, neither statement would be true. The movie was entertaining, but all too predictable in most cases. It did manage to elude one outcome that I thought would come to fruition, but on the other predictions that I had brewing in my head, they all materialized one at a time to no surprise. Again, it is entertaining none the less. I've seen many more movies that are a complete waste of time. This one does not fall into that category, it is just a plain mediocre movie. Not bad, not great.

"The Recruit" is a film with a very intriguing and exciting premise that doesn't quite deliver. The first half deals with new recruits and their initiation into the Central Intelligence Agency. "On the Farm," they learn the best techniques, the most high-tech gadgets, and the covert livelihood of a C.I.A. agent.

This setup is the strongest part of the film, entering the C.I.A. as a rookie, not knowing what is a test and what is real. Farrell is the whipping boy of the boss (Pacino), but it's because he may actually possess an extraordinary quality. Couple this with Farrell's intense desire to find out about his father (who may or may not have been in the C.I.A. as well).

For the most part, this was a well-done and engaging film. Good performances, with a lot of intrigue in it. Unfortunately, during the last act it sorta crumbles away. The payoff wasn't what I expected, and it felt more cliché than I thought it would. Still, points for holding my attention for most of the two hours.